Philippine President Joseph Ejercito Estrada challenged global players of the information technology (IT) sector on Sunday, Nov. 28 to bring the benefits of modern telecommunications to the masses.

In a meeting between leaders of the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) and a core group of information technology leaders at the Philippine International Convention Center (PICC), over which Mr. Estrada presided, he urged the IT private sector group to find ways of making their facilities accessible and more affordable to the poor.

Former Foreign Secretary Roberto Romulo, head of the IT core group, said President Estrada called on Asean to seriously consider this aspect, even as its leaders gave the go-signal to the initiative of accelerating the development of an Asean Information Infrastructure (AII).

The AII aims to establish an E-Asean Community by linking the national information infrastructures of Asean member-countries.

The Asean groups the Philippines, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Brunei Darussalam, Indonesia, Vietnam, Myanmar, Laos and Cambodia.

"President Estrada asked how we can ensure equal access to the poorest segments of society," Romulo said.

Romulo, a former top executive of IBM in Thailand and now chairman of the Equitable Card Network, said the IT leaders pledged to "be more responsive to the needs of the masses."

Manuel Pangilinan, president and chief executive officer of the Philippine Long Distance Telephone Company, said he assured Mr. Estrada that increased competition will help ensure that the costs of effectively delivering telecommunications services to the people "are made more affordable."

He noted that with heightened competition, players in the IT market will have to tap a wider consumer base, which means allowing the masses to gain access to modern telecommunications and IT facilities.

"To seek more revenues, the only and best way to do that is to move from the higher income segment of society down to the lower segment by offering lower and better prices," Pangilinan said.

The meeting was also attended by Asean Secretary General Rodolfo Severino and representatives from the IT private sector, among them, Antonio Romero, president, IBM Asean and Asia South; Maris Samaram, managing partner for Industry Asia Pacific, Arthur Andersen; Sheikh Abas Sheikh Mohammed, CEO of Syabas Technology of Brunei Darussalam; Dinesh Senan, CEO of Connect Pte. Ltd. of Singapore; and Emmanuel Lallana, vice president of the Foundation for IT Education and Development.